Wednesday, July 31, 2013

After a long hiatus, we return with Bizarro. He's a character I've liked but haven't completely understood. Anyhow, here he's flying over his cubed Bizarro World in a pose similar to that iconic Superman image that's been paid homage to time and again.

This piece was done in ink and wash n 9" x 12" strathmore and is for sale here.

Friday, April 5, 2013

I haven't had a lot of time to join in for the past little while, and this week isn't that different, but I couldn't past up a chance to add a Doom. So I did a entry of Victor, doing what he does best, being an international prick. It's probably no secret to anyone who knows me that the Fantastic Four are my favourite Marvel characters, and they're never as good as when they're facing off against Doctor Doom. Doom is an endlessly fun and fascinating villain, and over the years has grown into a character that can stand completely on his own, independent of his original title and enemies, then show up and be interesting in any corner of the Marvel Universe. It's a shame the Marvel film universe won't be able to use him because Fox owns the rights to him and those horrendous Fantastic Four films.

Spent all my time reading this manga once I started doing reference research on it, and forgot all about drawing this. This 3-week long Spitballin' is Battle Angel Alita, or GUNNM, as it is titled in its original publication in Japan. The thing I love most about manga is that a title is synonymous to its creator, and as such, you often see a progression in the artist's style through its run. And with this title, the main character Alita, goes through an evolution of sorts as well. So, I just couldn't put it down until I finished reading the series.
Anyway, I chose to draw her in her original design, but in an artistic style that appears closer to the end of the series.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Galactus has always been a character I've struggled to take seriously. I like the idea of Galactus and appreciate the threat he represents to a world on his dinner menu, but the logistics of his modus operandi are to me, well, funny. Characters like Galactus--aliens, celestial beings, etc--signal mankind's tendency to imagine higher lifeforms as something like ourselves: bi-pedal, two eyes and a mouth situated on a head mounted on a torso with limbs. How would such a life form evolve in the vacuum of space?

That's why sea creatures look so alien. They've adapted to an environment so different from ours here on land that their bodies don't look or function like ours. Two arms and legs aren't very practical for surviving under water, and I imagine it would be the same in outer space.

That's why I'm inclined to look at the Ultimate version of Galactus, or even the nebulous cloud from that wretched Fantastic Four sequel, as more plausible incarnations of a being that devours entire planets for sustenance.

ABOUT

Spitballin' is a Toronto-based art collective of illustrators and cartoonists living in and around the GTA. Every week we choose a different character from comics and nerd culture and show off our takes on them. It's not really our concept, but it works.